"Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food." -- Hippocrates
basic eating guidelines
- eat small meals or snacks every 2-3 hours with each one containing a complete protein (supplement with a protein shake if necessary)
- have color and variety with each meal (fruits/veggies)
- aim for at least 30 grams of fiber each day
- make sure that most of the fats in your diet come from EFAs (3-6-9)
- eat mostly whole, unprocessed foods
- monitor calories in vs. calories out
basic workout & post-workout nutrition
By now, most of us have heard the catch phrase “nutrient timing”. What exactly does that mean? Basically, nutrient timing addresses the dilemma faced by both strength and endurance athletes. “What should I eat and when should I eat it?” Regardless of the sport, the objectives of nutrient timing are the same:
A. Replace glycogen
B. Minimize protein breakdown
C. Increase protein synthesis
Sounds great, right? So, where do we go from here? Let's start from the beginning. Nutrient timing really consists of 3 phases:
Phase I. During the workout
Phase II. Within 45 minutes of completing workout
Phase III. The rest of the day
Okay. Now we have the “when”. It's time for the “what”. Let's start with Phase 1. The best choice here is a high-glycemic carbohydrate / whey protein drink. During this phase, high glycemic carbohydrates stimulate insulin and significantly increase protein synthesis. Phase 2 begins immediately upon completion of your workout. Within an hour, you'll need to consume a post-workout meal. Phase 3 is pretty easy to figure out. It's simply the rest of the day.
So, now we need to get into specifics. Remember, these are only generalizations. These ratios can/will change depending on your specific goals (i.e. gain muscle or lose fat).
Phase 1: carb:protein = 2-3:1 (example: 16 oz water, 30g carbs, 15g protein)
Phase 2: carb:protein = 1-2:1 (this can be in liquid or whole food form)
Phase 3: Generally, most folks do well sticking with lean proteins, veggies, and healthy fats during the rest of the day.
As was stated at the beginning, this article is an oversimplication and offers only general guidelines. For a more in depth look at nutrient timing, we highly recommend reading “Nutrient Timing” by Drs. John Ivy and Robert Portman (© Basic Health Publications, Inc.)